


Let Me Live

by Spread_your_wings02



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Crying, Fluff, Hospitalization, Hurt Roger Taylor (Queen), Kidnapping, M/M, Violence, im sorry, mentions of abuse, this is dark guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-02-25 22:48:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18711259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spread_your_wings02/pseuds/Spread_your_wings02
Summary: There was fresh blood on the floor. Rationally, they knew it could be anyone’s but because of the fact that there was a stubbed out cigarette next to it, they gathered it must have something to do with their drummer.Brian felt John kneel next to him as Freddie ran inside to call the police.He was gone. His Roger was gone.OrRoger disappears after a concert





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> HI!!  
> I started a one shot for a kidnapping idea someone submitted for my Save Me series, but I liked the idea so much I decided to make it into a proper fic!  
> I hope you guys like it!!
> 
> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Kidnapping, violence and blood

September 23rd 1977

“Freddie what the hell is that?”

The feigned horror Freddie gave in response caused Brian to chuckle.

The singer had come running into the flat with mustard- coloured material draped on his arm that looked like it had come straight out of his grandma’s closet. He held it up in front of Brian and Roger, aforementioned drummer hanging upside down on the sofa, with no explanation to what they were looking at.

“This, I have you know Roger, is the finest material in all of London,” Freddie declared, his arms springing out to the side to reassure that his dramatised explanation was seen as so. The material crinkled slightly on Freddie’s arm at the movement, causing a flowery pattern to come into view, and the two on the sofa scrunched their noses up in disgust.

“By that, you mean you’ve found it digging through a second hand shop?” Brian smirked, the comment eliciting a groan from the blonde next to him.

“Please tell me they’ve been washed Fred? I don’t want the flat smelling like an antique shop,” Roger said. Brian looked down at the blonde and wondered how he was not getting a head rush from sitting upside down for too long. He chuckled at his boyfriend’s behaviour, not surprised at his childish antics.

“Hush darling, these will magnificent,” Freddie replied, before swiftly turning, the material falling half on the floor from how fast he spun. “Where is John? I’m sure he will agree with me.”  
Roger sighed, moving from his position and instead decided to lie across the sofa like he owned it, only enough room for Brian to squeeze on the end, where the drummer placed his head in his lap.

“John’s making tea. He keeps feeling anxious about tonight Freddie so don’t bombard him,” Roger told him.  
Freddie only nodded, moving to sit on the sofa that Roger, along with Brian, had claimed. He sat on Roger’s legs, getting a ‘hey’ from the drummer in response.  
”Hmm did you hear something Bri?” Freddie asked, sounding too serious for having sat on his bandmate.

“Freddie get the fuck off me,” Roger grumbled, desperately trying to move his legs under Freddie’s weight.

“Gosh we need to get a new couch. This is so uncomfortable,” Freddie whined before a pillow hit him straight in the head. He looked down at the pouting drummer with a laugh.

“That’s what you get for being a little bitch and insulting my curtains,” Freddie cackled, moving off Roger and earning a “Fuck you”.

“Don’t fuck me, fuck Bri,” Freddie replied teasingly, watching as Roger snickered, and the guitarist’s face turned crimson.

“You know, I don’t know how I live in a house with you two children,” John said, walking into the room with a tray full of tea and a few digestives scattered on a plate. Roger instantly sat up, retrieving a biscuit, before moving himself back into his upside down position.

“Roger, sit up. You’ll choke,” Brian scolded. Roger grumbled but he did move to an upright position, crumbs falling over the sofa, the floor and even Brian, who rewarded the drummer with a peck on the lips.

“I don’t know how you put up with him Bri,” John laughed after watching Roger happily nibble on his digestive.

“He loves me,” Roger replied, mouth full of biscuit. Brian looked at the drummer, who was cheekily grinning at him, the food in his mouth making Brian grimace.

“I do when you have manners,” Brian mumbled, watching as Roger’s eyes narrowed, grumbling to himself around the biscuit how he ‘did have fucking manners’.

“Right,” Freddie announced, clapping his hands together as a smile crept over his face. “How are we feeling about tonight?”

John sighed, whilst Brian shrugged, and Roger was finishing his biscuit as he frantically nodded with a grin.

“I’m sure it will go fine Deacy,” Freddie assured, placing a hand on the bassist’s knee.  
John only smiled in response, chuckling slightly when the other three gave him a thumbs up.

 

\------------------------------

The gig had gone brilliantly. Roger stood from his drum kit, sweat making his t-shirt stick to his chest as he made his way to stand at the front next to the other three. Brian wrapped an arm around his waist with a smile before they took their bows, cheering a farewell to the audience.

As they walked off, Roger’s adrenaline was still high,and he could still feel the rush from playing coursing through his body. Brian still had a hand around his waist as they walked back into their dressing room, and all the drummer wanted to do was press him against the wall and kiss him. But he knew he couldn’t do it here, so he decided to wait until they got home, instead leaning his body closer to the older man as they walked.

Once they were in the dressing room, Roger did sneak in a heated kiss before Freddie and John got there. He pressed his lips to Brian’s, shocking the guitarist a little at the abruptness, before he melted against the blonde’s lips. Roger licked Brian’s bottom lips hungrily, before the older man opened his mouth, allowing Roger’s tongue to meet his.  
When they pulled away, Roger was met with a smirk from Brian, as well as a questioning eyebrow.

“What was that for?” Brian asked, hands cupping Roger’s jaw.

“I just couldn’t resist,” Roger replied with a smile. Brian kissed the tip of his nose before moving away to get changed. Roger did the same, changing out of his sweaty performance clothes an into a more suitable outfit he could wear to the bar.  
Freddie and John also arrived at the changing room, getting into better clothes that were more ideal. Once everyone was done, they all collapsed on chairs, Roger claiming the sofa with Brian there as his pillow again, and John and Freddie sat in the other two arm chairs.

“Well,” the singer said, interrupting their silence. “I think that went a lot better than expected.”

Everyone nodded, knowing that was one of the best shows they had done in a while. The whole crowd had gotten involved, even in such a small venue.

They sat around for another ten minutes before deciding to head out to the bar. Well, Brian, Roger and John headed to the bar whilst Freddie had immediately set out for the dance floor.

The three bandmates sat huddled at the bar, nursing their beers as they thought about how good the gig had gone. None of them were set on getting drunk because they had another show the next day, and really didn’t want to be hungover. Roger yawned before jumping down from the bar stool.

“I’m going out for a smoke,” he mumbled, placing a quick kiss on Brian’s cheek. “I won’t be long.”

He walked through the crowd of people and out of the pub, moving into the cold night air. Roger pulled his jacket closer too him, silently thanking Brian who had made him take it before they had left the flat.

He pulled out his packet of cigarettes and pulled one out, before stuffing the box back into his jeans and pulling out a lighter. As he looked up, he became aware that he was no longer the only one out there. A few men had just walked out of the pub looking drunk as they stumbled over each other.

Roger shrugged it off. He lit his cigarette and inhaled the smoke before blowing it out through his mouth, relishing in the feeling of nicotine running through his body. He noticed that the men were coming towards him, and he turned his back so they wouldn’t approach him.

Only they did.

“Hey pretty boy. What are you doing out here alone?”

Roger sighed, taking one last puff of his cigarette before stubbing it out on the floor with his foot.

He turned around and tried to move past them but they blocked his path. There was three of them, and the man that had spoken to him before placed a hand on his shoulder.  
Roger grimaced and desperately tried to shrug him off, however the hand was firmly planted, and the grip tightened as the other two men stood either side of Roger.

The drummer gulped, but tried to act nonchalant, knowing that if they realised he was scared, it could be much worse.

“Now,” the man started, moving to stand incredibly close to the blonde. So close that Roger could smell the man’s breath. He had to hold in the urge to vomit.

“We’ve been sent here with a mission that involves you,” the man continued with a cruel smirk.

Roger brows furrowed. “What?” he whimpered, feeling betrayed by his own voice for giving away how confused and afraid he was.

The man laughed in response. It was a laugh that made Roger shiver, but it was no warning as for a second later, a fist had collided with his face. He tried to move away but was held on the spot by the man’s arms, which had claimed both shoulders, before he was roughly shoved back. He stumbled backwards to the floor, landing straight on his back and winding himself. He gasped for breath, however they start to kick him in the stomach, relentlessly abusing his middle until he was only barely concious. He spat blood onto the floor, from where he had bitten his cheek, and wheezed for breath.

One of the men shoved him onto his back with a foot to his shoulder, and Roger could do nothing more than stare straight ahead, eyes dropping as the pain became overwhelming.

In his daze, he felt arms lift him underneath his armpits, before he was being dragged away from the pub. He was vaguely aware of the sound of a car door opening, then he was being picked up and thrown into the back of, what he assumed was, some sort of vehicle. He wheezed again as the breath was knocked out of him, and he folded in on himself, cradling his head in his hands as he slipped out of concious.

 

\------------------------------

Brian was sat by himself at the bar. Roger had been gone for over twenty minutes and John had decided to join Freddie on the dancefloor. As Brian sat there, he became worried. He had no idea what was keeping the drummer so long. He was usually only gone for ten minutes at the most, and as Brian sat alone, thoughts of what could’ve happened to Roger flew through his head. He sighed, knowing he was probably just being overprotective, before he stood up and made his way out of the pub.

Once he was outside, he looked around and saw no one. His frown only deepened before he moved around the building, thinking maybe Roger was more drunk than what he thought and had stumbled off. When he still couldn’t find him, he started to become frantic.

He hurried back into the pub, seeking Freddie and John out on the dancefloor.

They took one look at him before they were pulling him aside.

“Roger’s gone. You need to help me find him.”

The other two nodded in response, knowing that if Brian was panicking, it was for a good reason. They split off, searching the bathrooms, the dancefloor as well as the bar, but still didn’t find him. Brian was starting to become even more panicked when there was still no sign of his boyfriend.

“Where did he go last Bri?” Freddie asked, trying to contain how scared he was in order to keep Brian sane.

“He went outside. But I already checked.”

Freddie nodded. “We’ll go and check again anyway.”  
  
They all headed back out of the pub, scared out of their minds at the thought of Roger being missing. When they got out there, the cold air nipping at their skin, they still couldn’t find him.

It wasn’t until John called the other two over, pointing at the floor, did they have any clue to what could’ve happened.

What Brian saw made him break, and he fell to his knees; his breath catching in his chest.

There was fresh blood on the floor. Rationally, they knew it could be anyone’s but because of the fact that there was a stubbed out cigarette next to it, they gathered it must have something to do with their drummer.  
Brian felt John kneel next to him as Freddie ran inside to call the police.

He was gone. His Roger was gone.

Brian was hoping this was all a mistake. That Roger had just wandered off in a drunken state, or had forgotten what he was doing and had walked home.

But he knew Roger wasn’t that drunk. Brian had been sat beside him at the bar, and counted how many beers he had had. It was definitely around two or three, so the guitarist knew that he couldn’t blame this on Roger being drunk.

When the police arrived, everything passed in a blur to Brian. He vaguely became aware that it was being treated as a missing person’s case, and he had to give a statement. He didn’t really have much to tell them. Roger had left him to go and smoke. And that was it.

Freddie and John stayed with him through it, just as in shock as Brian was.

\--------------------------------------

Brian lay awake in bed that night. He couldn’t sleep not knowing where Roger was. Or if he was okay. He tossed and turned and cried; cried for so long that his eyes became puffy and red, and his chest hurt from breathing so hard.

He just hoped that wherever Roger was, he was okay. He hoped that the police could come up with a lead. And he hoped that he would get his boyfriend back soon.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 33 hours missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAH I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been really busy this month but I've just been free enough to write a new chapter!!  
> Anyways, my tumblr is in the end notes if you want to let me know what you think :)
> 
>  
> 
> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Kidnapping and violence

September 25th 1977

__33 hours missing_ _

It had been two days since Roger had disappeared, and Brian felt like it had passed so slowly, he was convinced that it had been two years. The first morning he woke up, drowsiness and sleep fogging his brain and letting him forget that Roger wasn’t there, and he instinctively rolled over, looking to curl around his boyfriend. His eyes snapped open when he was met with the bedsheets, and the painful memories came rushing back causing tears to flood his eyes.

The day had passed in a blur of tears and anger, but the worst was not knowing anything. They didn’t know what had happened at all, and Brian prayed that they would at least find out.

He regretted that thought the next morning.  

He was woken to a knock on his bedroom door, Freddie’s face slipping in through the crack to peer at Brian who was still half awake, curled up in the bed sheets.

“Brian,” the singer whispered, and Brian just groaned in response, rolling over so he had his back to the door.

“Brian you need to come and see this.”

Brian bolted upwards and darted his eyes to Freddie, scanning the older man’s face and saw distress covering his features. Freddie’s eyes were blown wide with panic, and his lip trembled slightly as he waited for Brian to follow him.

Brian scrambled out of bed, slipping on a pair of joggers, before following Freddie out of his bedroom and towards the living room, where he was also met with John, who was staring at something on the coffee table.

The guitarist furrowed his brow as he approached the younger man, his eyes immediately gaining interest on the rectangle object on the table. On closer inspection, Brian realised it was a video tape.

“What’s that?” Brian asked, his voice full of concern.

“We don’t know. I found it under the newspaper outside our door this morning,” Freddie replied, his voice shaking slightly.

Brian looked between the singer and the tape before picking it up, examining it as he held it in his hands.

“It’s got no address,” he announced, confusion causing his eyebrows to scrunch together even more.

“It means that it was hand delivered,” John replied, causing all three men to look at the tape as if it had sprouted wings.

Brian hesitantly nodded before moving towards their video player and pushing the tape in. He then turned the tv on and sat on the sofa next to John and Freddie.

The video was if it was from a hand held camera, and Brian recognised the pub that was being filmed was the one they had been to the night Roger had gone missing.

They watched in silence, nothing happening for a while until a noticeable blonde came walking out the front doors to stand by the wall, fiddling with something in his hands that was more than likely a cigarette box.

“Rog,” Brian breathed, his watery eyes fixed to the screen.

He noticed how three men walked out of the bar before heading over to the drummer. The tallest out of the men approached Roger from behind, and even though they couldn’t hear what was being spoken, Brian watched as the man’s lips moved before Roger stubbed his cigarette out and turned to face the man.

Brian could feel anger bubble in him as the man placed a hand on Roger’s shoulder. A few seconds passed where there was more talking, and before Brian realised what he was seeing, Roger was punched and shoved brutally to the ground. Brian’s breath hitched and he felt his bandmates tense next to him as the drummer was relentlessly kicked in the stomach. They held their breaths as Roger was dragged away and Brian flinched when Roger’s body collided repeatedly with the gravel beneath him.

And then that was it.

The screen went blank and Brian didn’t know how to react. He didn’t like this one bit. Why would someone send him a video of Roger being beaten up and kidnapped? He didn’t know if it was sent to them as a way to find a drummer, or the kidnapper was trying to pay some sick game.

Brian continued to stare at the blank screen but felt movement around him. It felt someone wrap him in a hug, who he was sure must have been Freddie, as he could faintly hear John on the phone down the hall.

Brian felt…numb. He had just had to watch his boyfriend be viciously attacked and dragged away. He wished he hadn’t have watched it. But at least it gave them a lead of some sort.

They could confirm that he was kidnapped.

Time passed and after what felt like hours, but could have been minutes, Jim was at their door and was let in by John. Jim Beach was their assigned private detective, courtesy of Queen just about being big enough to afford one.

Jim watched the tape alone, the three band members retreating to the kitchen as the video replayed, not wanting to witness the horrible events again. They rested against the counters with mugs of tea cupped in their shaky hands, waiting for any kind of response from Jim.

The detective walked into the kitchen and sighed.

“I’m afraid this video is no use to us.”  
The other three men shot him confused glances so he continued.

“The camera is not close enough for us to make out the men’s faces, and we can’t hear their voices either. The only thing we can do is wait for another tape.”

"Another tape?” Brian asked, anger rising and making him clench his hands around the mug tightly.

“This is more than likely going to be a ransom. Therefore since they’ve sent one, they will more than likely send another.”

They drifted into silence, no one wanting to speak before Jim uttered a small ‘call me if anything else happens’ and left them to stand in the fragile quietness.

 

\---------------------------------------------

Roger was awoken to a splash of cold water hitting him directly in the face causing him to splutter and cough. He went to move his hands to rub at his eyes but was stopped by thick rope that had bound his hands together behind him as he sat on, what he presumed, was a chair. His immediate thought was to move as panic shot through him, but there was rope tightly wrapped around his middle in order to keep him sat upright. He groaned before finally opening his eyes.

The room was dark, the only source of light coming from a small lamp in the corner of the room. Roger squinted, searching for any signs to what was happening to him, when it all came flooding back.

The punches. The kicking. The van.

He clenched his eyes shut with a painful breath before looking around the room again, landing on a figure stood in the corner.

“Good morning Mr Taylor. It’s nice to see you finally awake.”

Roger’s head was throbbing but he was still able to hear the sneer in the other man’s voice and he gulped as fear started to grip him.

“Who the fuck are you?” he spat through gritted teeth, earning a chuckle in response.

“I am the one holding you for ransom.”

Roger did let out a shaky breath at that. If he was being held for ransom, they wouldn’t hurt him because they were only keeping him for the money.

“However, I also have it out for your dear friend Brian. I know that hurting you will hurt him more than me hurting him, so that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

Roger’s eyes widened, but made no other move to show his anxiousness. He couldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“You don’t know shit,” Roger seethed, again only receiving a chuckle in response.

Before Roger knew what was happening, a piece of fabric was roughly shoved into his mouth and he felt it tighten against his face as it was tied at the back

“I don’t like talkers,” the man grumbled before slapping a hand across the drummer’s face causing his ears to ring and his face to scrunch up in pain.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. I’ve got to get myself ready for our next video appearance.”

And with that, the lamp was switched off, plunging Roger into darkness before he heard the door slam shut.

  
He was alone. Tears started to spill down his face as the entirety of the situation caught up to him.

 

He missed Brian. He missed Freddie and John. He missed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! Comments mean so much x  
> As always, I am on tumblr @spread-your-wings002 so drop by my askbox and let me know what you think!!  
> Thank you for reading!!  
> Next chapter should be up soon :)


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 57 hours missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and your support!  
> My tumblr is in the end notes if you want to come and say hi!  
> I hope you like this chapter :)
> 
>  
> 
> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Kidnapping, ransom and blood

September 26th 1977

_57_ _hours_ _missing_

When the next day arrived, Brian almost didn’t want to get out of bed. He was dreading the day to come. Not only did he not have Roger with him, he was also waiting to see if there would be another video. He desperately hoped that there wasn’t, as he didn’t want to see what they had done to his boyfriend, but at the same time he hoped it would give him answers to what was happening, and any clues to how to get Roger home safely.

It was still early in the morning; the sunlight filtering onto the bed, almost highlighting where Roger should be. In bed next to him. Brian felt the dejection hit him in one full pelt as he whimpered quietly, and he stretched a hand over the other side of the bed, the sheet weaving between his fingers. He laid his arm out stretched for a while, staring at it as if Roger would appear if he didn’t blink. He hadn’t realised he was crying until his pillow was starting to become wet, and he realised he was lying in his own tears. He sniffed and scrubbed a hand over his eyes before getting out of bed and moving to the bathroom.

He shut the door behind him and subsequently glanced in the mirror, eyeing the red faced, puffy eyed version of himself he hadn’t seen in quite a while. Not since he had Roger. Roger, who would hold him if he cried. Roger, who would placed small kisses across his forehead to make him feel better. Roger, who wasn’t here. Brian hunched over, his hands holding the side of the sink in a death grip. His chest heaved as he tried to breath, the air getting stuck in his throat as reality hit him over and over.

Roger wasn’t here.

He turned the tap on and splashed cold water on his face in hopes of making himself more awake; more capable of facing the day.

He dried his face and sighed before moving back out of the bathroom. He wanted to go to bed, his brain pulling him to his bedroom but he stopped when a small voice in his head said ‘this isn’t going to help Roger. You need to find him’. It sounded a bit like Roger in a way, and Brian found himself conforming and moving to the kitchen where he filled the kettle and set it on the stove to boil.

He decided that whilst he waited he would go and get the newspaper that would usually be put down around this time.

He yawned and shuffled towards the door, opening it quietly in order not to wake the others, before stopping dead in his tracks.

His breath caught in his throat and he shakily bent down, clutching the new video tape in his hands.

He sat crouched for a while, the tape still clutched in his hand as he stared at it. Brian felt everything slow down a little, as if he could believe this was all a dream and he would wake up. He was only pulled out of his trance when a hand was placed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Freddie who had a grim look on his face.

“Bri?”

Brian just nodded in response. He knew they had to watch it. They had to find out what was happening and this was their only chance of finding out because there wasn’t any piece of evidence other than the other video that could say what had taken place.

The guitarist stood up, Freddie’s grip moving from his shoulder to wrap around his upper back, his thumb rubbing in soothing motions. He was guided to the sofa, and before he knew what was happening a teacup was being pressed into his fingers, and he gave a brief smile in thanks.

“Y’know you don’t have to watch it,” Freddie whispered as he sat next to Brian, watching the younger man with concern. “We will call Jim and he will watch it for us.”

“But what if this isn’t even a ransom Freddie? I need to know what’s happening and the only way of doing that would be to watch the tape,” Brian replied, his voice thick as tears started to build in his eyes.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“Exactly. You’re closer to him than any of us, and whatever is on that video will affect you a lot,” Freddie said, his voice gentle as he placed a hand on Brian’s knee.

Brian looked up at Freddie with utmost certainty in his eyes.

“I have to watch it Fred.”

Freddie patted his knee before sitting back and sipping his tea, Brian’s own cup cooling in his hands as he drifted back into a haze of why’s and what if’s.

John emerged from his room shortly after, immediately noticing the tension filling the room.

He frowned. “What happened?”

Freddie held up the tape and John made a  face of understanding before sitting across from the other two.

“Have you watched it yet?” John asked tentatively.

Freddie shook his head. “We wanted to speak to you first.”

“Well shall we call Jim? Or should we watch it first?”

“We’ll watch it first,” Brian replied, surprising John with abruptness to the sentence.

They fell into a tense silence, and Freddie took it upon himself to insert the video into the the player.

They sat back, all holding their breaths as the video started.

It looked like a dark room, and there was no sound other than someone’s harsh breathing.

Moments passed before the screen panned over to a mess of blonde hair, or what would’ve been blonde hair if it hadn’t have been caked in blood. It was a man, tied in a chair with his head hung low so his face was hidden behind his hair.

They held their breath, unsure on what was happening. They heard a chuckle from the screen.

“Come on now, say hi to your friends,” came the voice behind he camera, and it instantly made all the men feel physically sick. Brian whimpered. He knew that voice.

They saw a hand move towards the blonde man, lifting his chin violently so that he was looking in the camera.

They gasped as they were met with tearful blue eyes. Roger had a gag tied across his bloodied face, and he was covered in bruises like someone had had a boxing round with his face.

Brian’s chest ached at the sight and he broke into pitiful cries. This was supposed to be a ransom, and Roger wasn’t meant to get hurt. That’s how ransoms worked.

“Now, you guys can have your blonde friend here back when you pay me £10,000. No more, no less.”

The voice was sickening, and Brian prayed to whoever was out there that the voice didn’t belong to who he thought it did.

“You have a week, and I would like it to be payed at a location I will give to you nearer the time.” 

They all did let out a small breath at that. He was still held for ransom which meant he wouldn’t hurt him more. He had no reason to.

“Oh and if you think you’re getting him back in one piece, you thought wrong,” the voice snickered, and they could only watch as Roger’s eyes widened as he struggled against the ropes that held him in place on the chair.

“For those of you that don’t know, Brian used to be a dear friend of mine. It wasn’t until this blonde twat can into our lives did he decide I wasn’t needed anymore. And so I’m sorry to tell you Brian but this is revenge.”

Brian’s heart stopped. It couldn’t be. He could feel Freddie and John’s eyes on him and he didn’t know what to say.

He just watched helplessly as Roger’s eyes started to stream.

“You have one week,” and with that, the video stopped.

The room fell into a deep pit of silence, all of them at a loss for what to say.

In the end, it was John that broke them out from the quiet.

“Do you know who that was Bri?” John whispered.

Brian looked over at him, his eyes stinging as fresh tears pricked his eyes.

“He’s meant to be dead,” he mumbled between hitched breath. “They told me he was dead.”

“Who Brian?”

“Mark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t worry, you will learn more about who Mark is and his backstory with Brian and Roger soon.   
> Comments mean the world x  
> As always, I am on tumblr @spread-your-wings002 so drop by my askbox and let me know what you think!!  
> Thank you so much for reading :)


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been two months since the last update. I really didn't mean to leave it this late, but if you read my other fics, you know that I've struggled to write them with exams going on. But now they're finished, updates should be more regular.  
> Anyway, I hope you are enjoying this fic, and thank you for so many of you for commenting and letting me know what you think. I'm not super proud of this chapter but I hope you like it, and make sure to let me know what you think in the comments :)
> 
> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Kidnapping, physical abuse implied

It had been a week since the initial video claiming the kidnapping as a ransom, and the three boys, with the help of Miami, had scraped together enough money for them to be able to get Roger back.

There had been several videos that had arrived, showing how Roger’s state was deteriorating the more the days went on. And it was horrifying. They were dreading the state they were going to find him in.

The morning of the deadline, Brian was jittery and nervous, hoping to god that Roger was going to be okay. He was sat with John and Freddie as they waited for the call telling them where to leave the money and hopefully where to find Roger. The three bandmates had drifted a little since Brian had told them who Mark was.

Mark was Brian’s previous best friend. They had grew up together and had known each other forever. Except when Brian became friends with Roger, Mark started to distance himself from Brian, and tried to explain to the guitarist that he felt like he was being replaced; especially when Brian announced he and Roger were in a relationship. It went on for a while until Mark enlisted in the Army. And never came back.

Brian remembers the morning Mark’s parents had called him to say that he was MIA, and more than likely dead. He had cried and cried in Roger’s arms, mourning the loss of his first ever best friend.

Now to find out he is alive was a shock, and the fact that he had kidnapped Roger and hurt him made him furious. Brian had never replaced his best friend; him and Roger were just starting to become a couple at the time, so obviously they were going to be spending more time together.

Freddie and John were shocked, as well as a little annoyed that they knew nothing about it.

They sat in silence waiting for the seconds to go down and turn to 9am. That’s when he’d call.

Brian sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair, placing it back on the table with a sigh. Freddie gently took his hand into his own and squeezed, giving a reassuring smile. Brian didn’t think he had enough strength in him to smile back at that moment. Especially when shrill ringing pierced the air.

They halted their breathing, looking at each other with wide eyes.

Brian took the phone of the hook and placed it to his ear, not looking away from the other two.

“The bin outside the pub at the end of your street. Leave it there at 9:30am and then go. I will call you after.”

And with that, the line went dead.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------

They dropped the money in the bin, looking around warily before hurrying home. They sat back in their seats, and waited with baited breath for the phone to ring and tell them where Roger was.

When the phone did ring, Brian didn’t hesitate to pick it up, hearing the other man breathe over the phone.

“Thank you for the money. I have left Roger in an empty warehouse. Have fun.”  
As the phone cut off, Brian felt panic settle in his chest. That wasn’t specific enough. There was a lot of warehouses in London. And what if he didn’t even mean London?

Brian abruptly stood up, the other two following after.

“Brian what did he say?” Freddie asked, concern masking his face.

“He said… he said Roger is at a warehouse. That’s it. He didn’t even specify which one.”

Brian was breathing heavily and rubbed a hand across his forehead. “How are we going to find him?”

A beat passed before John replied.

“Is there not a place that means a lot to the two of you? Maybe there’s a warehouse near there?”

Brian thought for a minute, racking his brain for any place that would be sentimental.

“Maybe the bar where I told him that me and Roger were together? He took it pretty seriously and was upset over it for a long time. Obviously. I can’t think of anywhere else.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------

They arrived at the pub Brian was talking about and decided to look around. They went through streets upon streets until they stumbled across a large building.

“Does this look like a warehouse to you?” Brian asked the other two, his voice quiet.

Both Freddie and John nodded, and Brian took a deep breath before he walked in.

It was dark, and if it wasn’t for some light breaking through the cracks in the walls, Brian would never have seen him. But there in the middle of the room was his boyfriend. He wasted no time and ran over, his heart in his throat. Roger was tied to a chair, his head hanging as he hunched over. Brian knelt down so that he was eye level.

“Rog?” he whispered, earning no reply.

He gently tucked a piece of blonde hair behind his boyfriends ear, careful of the bruises that scattered his face. “Rog?” he tried again. There was a whimper in response before the fluttering of eyes.

Blue, glassy eyes focused on Brian. He started to breath faster, a mantra of ‘no’s’ tumbling out of his mouth as he scrunched his eyes shut again.

“No love. It’s me. It’s Brian,” Brian told him, carefully stroking his hand over Roger’s jawline.

Roger stopped and opened his eyes, bloodshot irises scanning Brian’s face.

“Bri?”

Brian nearly broke down. The tears he had kept at bay started to stream down his face as he smiled at his boyfriend.

“Yeah it’s me. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Brian hadn’t realised that whilst he and Roger were talking, Freddie and John had come in and started undoing the ties that held the blonde to the chair. When they were all untied, there was nothing keeping him upright and Roger fell forward. Brian immediately caught him, moving him to lie on the floor with his head in the guitarist’s lap.

“Where does it hurt Rog?” Brian asked, trying to stay calm as Freddie and John ran off to go and get an ambulance.

“I don’t know,” Roger whimpered back, scrunching his face up in confusion.

Brian looked over Roger and noticed how small he looked. Not only was his face black and blue, his arms were also littered with bruises, big and small. Brian decided to look over Roger so that he would be able to tell the paramedics what was wrong when they came.

Brian noticed that Roger’s right wrist was an angry shade of red as well as deep purples and yellows. He concluded it was more than likely broken from the odd angle it was sat in.

He slowly dragged Roger’s shirt up, seeing how his ribs were moving with every breath. It didn’t look good, and the longer he looked at it, the more he wanted to do the same to Mark for doing such a thing to his Roger.

He pulled Roger’s shirt back down and took a deep breath, stroking a hand through Roger’s hair.

“Are you in pain my love?”

Roger went silent, other than the hissing of his breath, before frowning. “I don’t know.”

Brian didn’t know if Roger was in shock or was genuinely confused. He hoped it was shock, because otherwise that would sound like a head injury.

However, there was nothing he could do other than comfort him until the ambulances arrived.

He placed a kiss to Roger’s forehead, letting the tears slip past his eyes. He hoped that this would all just become a nightmare soon.

Except he didn’t know how Roger was going to recover from this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay they've got Roger back! But not everything is going to be fine now they've got him back.  
> Comments mean the world x  
> As always, I am on tumblr @spread-your-wings002 so drop by my askbox and let me know what you think!!  
> Thank you so much for reading :)


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update. I seem to be a lot busier than I expected and it's hard to get chapters done with so much going on. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think :)
> 
>  
> 
> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Mentions of abuse, kidnapping, needles, hospitals

Brian traced his thumb over the back of Roger’s hand as he watched the younger man sleep.

Two days.

It had been two days since they had rescued him, and it still felt like they were in hell. Roger hadn’t shown any signs of waking up, and the press were on their backs to find out what happened.

He traced his thumb over the bruised wrists gently, sniffling a little as the same thoughts kept plaguing his mind.

_‘What did they do to him?’_

His eyes flicked up to Roger’s face for the hundredth time that day, trying to find any sign that he was going to wake up. The only good news so far was that he was taken off the ventilator earlier that morning.

 

_“He has stabilised considerably in the past 35 hours, and we think it would be okay to take him off the ventilator,” the doctor told Brian with a weak smile._

_Brian bristled in his chair slightly. “What about his chest? And his lung? Are they doing well?”_

_“Yes. His lung had stayed inflated with no signs of collapsing again, and his chest cavity has stayed in the right position for it to heal. Once we take him off the ventilator, he will have an oxygen mask to support his breathing.”_

_Brian just nodded, sinking back into his chair with a sigh._

_“Okay. Thank you.”_

_At least it was something._

Two days was a long time; waiting for something to happen so desperately makes the time go even slower, and Brian thought it might have been 3 days since he last saw Freddie and John, even though it had only been a couple of hours.

Both the other two bandmates had come as much as they could, but hadn’t stayed the whole time like Brian had. He knew that Freddie was trying to keep the press at bay with the help of their manager, and that John was trying to sort everything out back out their house for when Roger comes home.

‘ _ _I_ f he comes home,_’ his brain supplied making him curse himself. Of course Roger was coming home. He had too.

Not only was the mask a definite way of telling Brian his boyfriend was ill, the feeding tube that ran up his nose confirmed it. When he found out that they hadn’t fed him anything, Brian was livid. The blonde hadn’t eaten for over a week and any fat he had on him was gone. He was practically in starvation mode and Brian held in the urge to sob knowing that they were having to pump the food into his system to get his body anywhere near healthy.

He was now rubbing soft circles into Roger’s palm. The contact was something Brian needed, something he had gone without for over a week due to unthinkable circumstances. He never thought it would be like this. He thought maybe Mark would’ve just banged Roger up a bit. And though it still would’ve been just as devastating, he would know that Roger was guaranteed to live. Because when they did find Roger, he was barely alive.

Brian knew he coded twice in surgery, and it still made his throat close up and bile swirl in his gut at the thought. If they hadn’t have gotten to the hospital faster, his collapsed rib cage would’ve killed him, especially after being jostled around so much. And not only that, Brian was glad he had been careful with Roger’s head, and it explained why the blonde was so confused when Brian was talking to him. The sickening thing was Roger had been hit in the head so many times and with so much force that it had caused a small fracture in his skull as well as a brain contusion. And they didn’t know the effect of it until he woke up.

 

If he woke up.

 

He wiped his eyes with the back of his free hand, never letting go of Roger, and took a deep breath. Though it had been two days, the doctors weren’t that worried. When Brian had asked them multiple times for answers, they told him that Roger’s brain had swelled slightly due to the bruising, and so it was going to take him a while to wake up. Not only that, but his body had been through a hell of a lot of trauma in a week and it was a way of recovering itself before he woke up.

There were so many things that could go wrong when he woke up that Brian almost didn’t want to think about it. He had be warned of the risks. _Blindness. Seizures. Memory loss._ If any of that happened, it would have a massive impact on not only Roger’s life, but also everyone else’s.

And he didn’t even think about what Roger might be like when he woke up. The doctor had told him to be aware that the psychological trauma could be extensive, and will more than likely require treatment if he doesn’t improve. But Brian knew he would be there for him. Always.

A finger twitched and Brian eyes snapped down to their entwined hands, watching as Roger’s hand twitched slightly. He gazed back up to Roger’s face and watched as the stitches pulled across his forehead as he frowned, before fluttering his eyes open.

Blue eyes darted around the room and the sound of the heart monitor sped up. Roger yanked his hand away from Brian, pulling it to his chest with a gasp as he tried to breathe, only to realise their was a mask on his face. He scrambled to get it off whilst shaking his head; his chest heaving as tears pricked his eyes.

Brian didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know whether to touch him or talk to him. In the end, he pressed the call button and immediately two nurses came running in, sticking a syringe into Roger’s arm as he thrashed around screaming bloody murder under the mask. After a few seconds his movements slowed and his breathing seemed to be mostly back under control.

Brian was still stuck in the same place, frozen to his chair. He was unsure of how to act; what to do.

He felt pressure on his arm and he looked up to see a nurse placing a hand on his arm.

“Tell him where he is. He’s probably confused and hurt.”

Brian nodded gratefully before moving so he was in Roger’s view.

“Rog?”

The blonde blinked at him, the same terrified expression never leaving his face.

“It’s me. Brian. You’re okay. You’re in the hospital.”

Roger blinked at him again, and Brian thought maybe he hadn’t gotten through to him before a hand fisted in his shirt, and he was brought closer to the blonde.

“Brian?”

Brian cried in relief, nodding frantically while holding his hand over Roger’s that was still in his shirt.

“Yes my love,” he replied through tears and a smile, something he hadn’t done in days.

Roger’s eyes watched him intently, lines forming on his face as he considered the situation, before Brian was being weakly pulled down into a hug, which became more of them touching foreheads.

They stayed hunched over each other for a while until Roger broke the silence.

“Oh fuck,” Roger winced, pulling his head away from Brian’s.

Brian frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“My head. Shit Bri. My head fucking hurts,” Roger gritted our behind the mask, his hands coming up to his face as his eyes scrunched shut.

Brian looked at him with sympathy. There was nothing anyone could do about the pain. He wasn’t able to take painkillers due to the risk of it thinning his blood making him more prone to a bleed, which is something they definitely didn’t need to happen.

Brian wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed with him and take him into his arms, but he was afraid he would jostle him too much and damage his chest. Instead he shuffled his chair closer so he was practically on the bed, and gently put his arms around Roger, cradling him in his arms. This contact was a lot more preferable than just holding hands. Brian just wished Roger wasn’t in so much agony.

He turned and placed a gentle kiss on Roger’s hairline, listening as Roger started to sniffle as tears started to cloud his vision.  

“It’s okay Rog. You’re safe. He can’t hurt you here,” Brian whispered, feeling how Roger’s grip on him tightened.

 

And so Brian held him as he wept, desperately hoping they could get through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments mean the world x  
> As always, I am on tumblr @spread-your-wings002 so drop by my askbox and let me know what you think!!  
> Thank you so much for reading :)


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I haven’t updated in 2 months. I’m sorry about that I promise not to leave it this long again.

The light made him squint, and he desperately wanted to get away from it, but he sat firmly in the bed with Brian’s arm wrapped around his waist. When the light was pulled away, he was met with the face of his doctor, who then looked down to write something on his notepad. Roger wheezed a little, but didn’t reach for the discarded oxygen mask around his neck.

“It seems as if everything is healing nicely Mr Taylor. There is no problems with your eyes and no apparent memory loss so it looks like you are in the clear for most serious head injury risks.”

Roger wanted to nod his head, but the shear amount of pain he was in made him not able to. So instead he slowly moved his head back against the softness of Brian’s shoulder, letting his boyfriend support him and take over the duties of speaking to the doctor.

“So how long will he be in here for?” Brian asked, moving his free hands to wrap around the other side of Roger, keeping him secure against his side.

“It looks like at least another two weeks, if not longer. Both his ribs and his head injury need to be monitored very closely because he’s not completely out of the woods yet and things could take a turn for the worst if we are not careful.”

Brian nodded grimly, his eyes flicking between Roger and the doctor.

“I have scheduled another x-ray later today to see how his ribs are holding up, but other than that, he can start to have more visitors if he feels up to it,” the doctor replied with a small smile.

Brian nodded with a sigh. “Thank you.”

And with that, the doctor was gone leaving the couple alone in the room in silence.

“Rog you okay? Do you need a drink or anything?” Brian asked, dipping his head to look at Roger, who had closed his eyes since laying his head against Brian.

“I’m okay,” was croaked back.

Brian let himself relax against the bed, the pressure of Roger’s body pressed tightly against his own. He thought about how hectic everything had been, and how glad he was now to have Freddie and John able to come in and support him and Roger.

They laid in silence for a while before Roger’s breaths became louder and more laboured, and only then did Brian’s brain snap to attention that his boyfriend had taken his oxygen mask off. He gently pulled his arm away from around Roger’s waist, causing the blonde to open his eyes, then moved the oxygen mask from his neck to his face.

“You need to wear that Rog. Don’t take it off,” Brian told him softly. Roger just blinked at him, unable to conjure up a reply in his weakened state, then promptly closed his eyes.

Brian wanted to run a hand through Roger’s hair, but knew the pressure on his head would make thing worse, so put his arm back around the blonde’s waist.

Roger hadn’t said much since he woke up, the pain being too much for him to handle at times, but Brian was hoping that now that the risks were starting to go, they would be able to put him on painkillers. Brian wasn’t even able to comprehend what pain Roger was going through, both with his head and his ribs, as well as his fractured wrist and the bruises that littered his body as well as his face. The swelling in his face had gone down significantly, and the bruises had faded to mostly yellows and greens, but they still must be painful.

Brian was going to leave it a day before he allowed the other two bandmates to visit. Roger was still sort of out of it with the pain, and Brian didn’t want it to become worse if Freddie and John are too loud or coddling him too much.

A while past and Roger had fallen asleep, and Brian didn’t dare move in case he woke the blonde. He really needed a drink, and so stayed in place for another half an hour before softly laying Roger back on the bed so he could venture out into the corridors for a cup of coffee. He hadn’t been sleeping well, if at all, and so the caffeine rush was needed for him to stay awake.

He was gone for no more than five minutes, and was grateful that his boyfriend was still asleep when he got back. Instead of getting back on the bed and disturbing Roger, he decided to sit in the chair next to him and call Freddie.

“Hello?”

“Fred it’s me.”

“Oh goodness darling is everything alright?”

“I was just calling to tell you and Deacy that you can come visit tomorrow. They said he’s healing well but not out of he woods yet, but I think it will be nice for him to see you again.”

“We’ll be there around lunchtime tomorrow then. We’ve missed him so much Bri,” Freddie replied, his voice wavering slightly.

“I know. Just... I don’t know. Just prepare yourself. He doesn’t look well still, and he’s still in so much pain so he might not say much.”

“We just want to see him darling. I don’t care if he’s asleep the whole time. I just need to see him with my own eyes and know that he’s okay.”

Brian sighed. “Okay Freddie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow dear.”

Brian hung up the phone and sighed inwardly before shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.

He sat dozing on and off for a while, before he noticed Roger’s head move.

“Rog you awake?”

Blue eyes fluttered open and looked at him, the pain evident in the frown making his eyes squint slightly.

“Yeah I’m awake,” Roger replied, no louder than a whisper.

“How are you feeling?” Brian asked, scooting forward to take Roger’s cast-less hand in his.

“M’kay. My head’s fuzzy,” he stated, eyeing Brian careful.

“Is it still painful?”

“Yeah. But it’s more cloudy,” Roger replied, his eyes scanning the room slowly with a hazy look in his eyes.

Brian’s eyebrows knitted together as he frowned.

“Rog do I need to get you a doctor?” Brian asked gently, his thumb moving forwards and backwards over Roger’s hand in a comforting motion.

Roger opened his mouth to answer before promptly shutting it as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Brian watched in horror as Roger’s body became stiff and his back arched before he stilled again like a lifeless form in the bed.

Brian took his hand away from Roger, still not quite sure what was happening. He watched as his boyfriend’s limbs started to shake, and then his body, and Brian desperately tried to think of something to do.

He ran out into the corridor screaming for help, and was glad when a flock of nurses came running in his direction and were quick to act.

As Brian watched in distress in the doorway, the nurses made sure that his head and body weren’t hitting the bed as he uncontrollably jerked.

And then it was over.

Brian felt his chest tighten and he realised he needed to breathe. He inhaled a breath before stepping foot into the room, watching the nurses bustle around the bed where Roger was completely still. They started to check in his mouth and his eyes before moving out of the room to get a doctor.

Brian stopped one with a shaky hand, and she looked at him in sympathy.

“What’s happening?” he asked quietly.

“He had a seizure, and a quite bad one at that. We are going to get the doctor now and he will be able to tell you more of what’s happening,” she replied kindly, placing a hand over Brian’s.

“Thank you.”

He then sat back down in the chair, still pretty shaken up over what he had just witnessed.

Soon enough, the doctor came hurrying in with a nurse in tow, who quickly inserted a syringe into Roger’s IV before walking back out again, leaving the doctor alone with them.

The doctor looked at Brian and sighed. “We are unsure whether this is because of the amount of stress his body is under, or whether it is because of the trauma to his head. For now there is nothing I can do, but I have just given him a painkiller to help with the pain, especially because his ribs have been moved a lot. If it happens again, I will start him on anti-seizure medicine and we will go from there. I am so sorry about this Brian,” the doctor told him with a tinge of worry on his face.

Brian just sighed and nodded. He hoped this was just a one time thing and Roger would be okay.

He needed him to be okay. However not everything turns out in your favour. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!   
> Kudos and comments mean the world x  
> My tumblr is @spread-your-wings002 if you want to check out my blog :)

**Author's Note:**

> So first chapter is done! Please let me know what you think! Comments mean the world x  
> Thank you for reading!!  
> Next chapter should be up soon :)


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